Modified Blalock-Taussig Shunt in Neonates: Determinants of Immediate Outcome

Forty-six neonates with various conditions of low pulmonary blood flow received a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt with a polytetrafluoroethylene graft. Ages ranged from 2 to 30 days (mean, 14.1 days). Hospital mortality was 10.9%. Shunt block requiring reoperation occurred in 3 patients. Incremental risk factors for early mortality were found to be restrictive atrial septal defect, univentricular physiology, and postoperative reintervention. It was found that a Blalock-Taussig shunt could be performed in the neonatal period with a predictable outcome. Single-ventricle physiology and restrictive atrial septal defect were the major determinants of outcome in this subgroup.